Information about the Latin American Studies Minor Program.
Why should I minor in Latin American Studies?
Knowledge of Latin America and its people, including those in the United States, is an essential part of a liberal education. Latinos are now the most populous ethnic group in the United States and U.S. economic, political, and cultural relations with our Latin American neighbors – from Mexico and the Caribbean to Central and South America – continue to grow in importance. Traditional and continuing students in a wide variety of majors and professional programs can benefit from studying Latin America: the biology major who wishes to work on rainforest ecology; the business or economics major who plans to work in international trade or finance; the education or health sciences student who expects to work in almost any U.S. city; the literature major who plans a graduate degree in Spanish or comparative literature; and the international studies or political science major who wishes to work in government or non-governmental organizations.
The goals of the regional studies minor in Latin American Studies are to enable students, regardless of their major, to develop a concentration in Latin America as a supplement to their regular major, provide regional depth to their university studies, and give breadth in their liberal education.
Specifically, the regional minor in LAS provides students with opportunities to develop core knowledge and skills essential for their liberal arts education and their post-graduate career success:
•Advance your critical and creative thinking skills
•Apply your intercultural knowledge and competence
•Develop ethical reasoning skills and put them into action
•Gain a greater understanding of global responsibility and sustainability
•Improve your written and oral communication skills
•Increase your knowledge and understanding human communities, cultures, languages and histories
•Learn a second or third language
•Study abroad with an academic and career focus